Beads Viz

Read-only task graph visualizer for Beads projects. Runs as an MCP App inside Claude Desktop or VS Code Copilot, showing an interactive DAG, list view, and stats dashboard.

Claude Desktop / VS Code Copilot
  ├── Chat: "Show me the task graph"
  │     → calls visualize-tasks tool
  ├── MCP Server (Node.js, stdio)
  │     ├── visualize-tasks → bd list --all --json
  │     ├── poll-tasks      → fresh data every 3s
  │     ├── show-task        → task detail by ID
  │     └── ui://beads-viz  → serves the UI bundle
  └── Sandboxed iframe (MCP App)
        ├── DAG view (ELK.js layered layout)
        ├── List view (status-grouped)
        ├── Stats dashboard (progress, velocity)
        └── Task detail drawer

The UI is read-only — all task mutations (create, claim, close) happen through agent chat.

Prerequisites

• Node.js >= 18 (22+ recommended)
• npm >= 9
• Beads CLI (bd) installed and on PATH — install instructions
• A Beads project (directory containing .beads/config.yaml)

Verify your setup:

node --version    # v18.0.0+
bd --version      # any version
bd list --json    # should output JSON (run from a Beads project)

Quick Start (npx)

The fastest way — no cloning, no building. Just configure your MCP host to use npx:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "beads-viz": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "beads-viz"],
      "cwd": "/path/to/your/beads-project"
    }
  }
}

npx downloads and caches the package on first run. The -y flag skips the install confirmation prompt.

Where does this go? See the Installation section below for the config file location for your setup (Claude Desktop, VS Code Copilot, WSL, etc.)

Global Install

If you prefer a permanent install over npx:

npm install -g beads-viz

Then use beads-viz as the command directly:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "beads-viz": {
      "command": "beads-viz",
      "cwd": "/path/to/your/beads-project"
    }
  }
}

Building from Source

If you prefer to build locally:

git clone https://github.com/pyros-projects/beads-viz.git
cd beads-viz
npm install
npm run build

This produces:

| Output | Description | |--------|-------------| | dist/index.html | Self-contained UI bundle (Svelte + ELK.js, single file) | | dist/server/index.js | MCP server entry point (Node.js, stdio transport) |

Build commands:

| Command | What it does | |---------|-------------| | npm run build | Build everything (UI + server) | | npm run build:ui | Vite build — produces dist/index.html | | npm run build:server | TypeScript compile — produces dist/server/*.js | | npm run dev | Vite dev server at localhost:5173 (standalone UI testing) |

Installation

The MCP server runs via stdio — the host application (Claude Desktop or VS Code Copilot) starts it as a child process. Configuration depends on where the server runs relative to the host.

Key concept: The cwd field determines which Beads project to visualize. The server walks up from cwd to find .beads/config.yaml.

All examples below show both the npx approach (recommended) and the local build approach. Use whichever you prefer.

---

Claude Desktop — macOS / Linux (Native)

The simplest setup. Both Claude Desktop and the server run on the same machine.

Edit ~/.config/claude-desktop/config.json (Linux) or ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json (macOS):

Using npx (recommended):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "beads-viz": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "beads-viz"],
      "cwd": "/home/dev/projects/myapp"
    }
  }
}

Using a local build:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "beads-viz": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/home/dev/tools/beads-viz/dist/server/index.js"],
      "cwd": "/home/dev/projects/myapp"
    }
  }
}

If you use nvm and node/npx isn't on PATH for GUI apps, use full paths:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "beads-viz": {
      "command": "/home/dev/.nvm/versions/node/v22.21.0/bin/npx",
      "args": ["-y", "beads-viz"],
      "cwd": "/home/dev/projects/myapp"
    }
  }
}

---

Claude Desktop — Windows (Native Node.js)

Node.js and the Beads CLI are installed natively on Windows.

Edit %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json:

Using npx (recommended):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "beads-viz": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "beads-viz"],
      "cwd": "C:\\Users\\you\\projects\\myapp"
    }
  }
}

Using a local build:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "beads-viz": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["C:\\Users\\you\\tools\\beads-viz\\dist\\server\\index.js"],
      "cwd": "C:\\Users\\you\\projects\\myapp"
    }
  }
}

Use double backslashes (\\) in JSON paths, or forward slashes (/) — Node.js accepts both on Windows.

---

Claude Desktop — Windows Host + WSL Server

This is the recommended setup for WSL users. Claude Desktop runs on Windows, but your Node.js, Beads CLI, and projects live inside WSL.

The trick: use wsl.exe as the command, which bridges into WSL and runs the server there.

Edit %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json:

Using npx (recommended):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "beads-viz": {
      "command": "wsl.exe",
      "args": [
        "bash", "-lc",
        "cd /home/dev/projects/myapp && npx -y beads-viz"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Using a local build:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "beads-viz": {
      "command": "wsl.exe",
      "args": [
        "bash", "-lc",
        "cd /home/dev/projects/myapp && node /home/dev/tools/beads-viz/dist/server/index.js"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Why bash -lc? The -l flag loads your login shell profile (~/.bashrc, ~/.profile), which sets up nvm, PATH, and other environment variables. Without it, node and bd may not be found.

Why cd ... &&? The cwd field in config.json is a Windows path and won't work inside WSL. Instead, we cd to the project directory inside the bash command.

If you have a specific WSL distro (not the default):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "beads-viz": {
      "command": "wsl.exe",
      "args": [
        "-d", "Ubuntu-24.04",
        "bash", "-lc",
        "cd /home/dev/projects/myapp && npx -y beads-viz"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Troubleshooting WSL:

• If node isn't found, check that nvm loads in ~/.bashrc (not just ~/.bash_profile)
• If bd isn't found, verify it's on your WSL PATH: wsl.exe bash -lc "which bd"
• Test the full command from PowerShell first:

  wsl.exe bash -lc "cd /home/dev/projects/myapp && node /home/dev/tools/beads-viz/dist/server/index.js"
  

  You should see the server start (it reads from stdin, so it will hang — that's normal). Press Ctrl+C to stop.

---

VS Code Copilot — macOS / Linux (Native)

VS Code with GitHub Copilot Chat can also host MCP Apps, displaying them as interactive panels alongside the chat.

Add to your VS Code settings.json (Ctrl+, → search "mcp" → Edit in settings.json):

Using npx (recommended):

{
  "github.copilot.chat.mcp.servers": {
    "beads-viz": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "beads-viz"],
      "cwd": "/absolute/path/to/your/beads-project"
    }
  }
}

Using a local build:

{
  "github.copilot.chat.mcp.servers": {
    "beads-viz": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/beads-viz/dist/server/index.js"],
      "cwd": "/absolute/path/to/your/beads-project"
    }
  }
}

You can also add this to workspace settings (.vscode/settings.json) to scope it per project:

{
  "github.copilot.chat.mcp.servers": {
    "beads-viz": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "beads-viz"],
      "cwd": "${workspaceFolder}"
    }
  }
}

---

VS Code Copilot — Windows Host + WSL Server

Your VS Code runs on Windows, but the project and toolchain live in WSL. Same wsl.exe bridge technique.

Add to your VS Code settings.json:

Using npx (recommended):

{
  "github.copilot.chat.mcp.servers": {
    "beads-viz": {
      "command": "wsl.exe",
      "args": [
        "bash", "-lc",
        "cd /home/dev/projects/myapp && npx -y beads-viz"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Using a local build:

{
  "github.copilot.chat.mcp.servers": {
    "beads-viz": {
      "command": "wsl.exe",
      "args": [
        "bash", "-lc",
        "cd /home/dev/projects/myapp && node /home/dev/tools/beads-viz/dist/server/index.js"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Workspace settings in WSL projects: If you open a WSL folder in VS Code (via code . from WSL terminal or the Remote-WSL extension), VS Code may resolve paths differently. See the Remote-WSL section below.

---

VS Code with Remote-WSL Extension

When using the Remote - WSL extension (or the newer WSL extension), VS Code runs its extension host inside WSL. This means MCP servers configured in workspace settings run natively in WSL — no wsl.exe bridge needed.

In your WSL project's .vscode/settings.json:

Using npx (recommended):

{
  "github.copilot.chat.mcp.servers": {
    "beads-viz": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "beads-viz"],
      "cwd": "${workspaceFolder}"
    }
  }
}

Using a local build:

{
  "github.copilot.chat.mcp.servers": {
    "beads-viz": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/home/dev/tools/beads-viz/dist/server/index.js"],
      "cwd": "${workspaceFolder}"
    }
  }
}

This is the cleanest approach for WSL users who already use the Remote-WSL workflow. No bridge, no path translation — everything runs natively inside WSL.

---

Configuration Reference

| Field | Type | Description | |-------|------|-------------| | command | string | Executable to run (npx, beads-viz, node, or wsl.exe) | | args | string[] | Arguments passed to the command | | cwd | string | Working directory — the server discovers the Beads project from here | | env | object | Optional environment variables to set |

The server discovers the Beads project by walking up from cwd to find .beads/config.yaml. If no project is found, the visualize-tasks tool returns an error message.

---

Usage

Once configured, restart your host application (Claude Desktop or VS Code) and ask the agent:

"Show me the task graph"

The agent calls the visualize-tasks tool, which returns a task summary and opens the interactive visualization in a sandboxed iframe.

Views

| View | Description | |------|-------------| | DAG | Dependency graph with ELK.js layered layout. Nodes colored by phase, edges show dependencies. Click a node to see details. | | List | Status-grouped task list: Ready (unblocked), In Progress, Blocked, Done. Click a row for details. | | Stats | Progress ring, status breakdown, phase completion bars, 7-day velocity chart. |

Keyboard

| Key | Action | |-----|--------| | Escape | Close the task detail drawer | | 1 | Switch to DAG view | | 2 | Switch to List view | | 3 | Switch to Stats view |

MCP Tools

| Tool | Visibility | Description | |------|-----------|-------------| | visualize-tasks | Agent (model) | Opens the visualization. Returns task summary + UI reference. | | poll-tasks | App only | Returns current task data. Called by the UI every 3 seconds. | | show-task | App only | Returns detailed info for a single task (description, comments, deps). |

"App only" tools are called by the UI iframe via the MCP Apps SDK, not by the agent.

Development

Standalone UI Development

npm run dev

Opens the Vite dev server at http://localhost:5173. The UI runs in standalone mode — no MCP host, no data. The bridge logs a warning and the UI shows an empty state. Useful for styling and layout work.

Testing with a Beads Project

Build the server, then run it manually:

npm run build
cd /path/to/your/beads-project
node /path/to/beads-viz/dist/server/index.js

The server communicates via stdio (JSON-RPC over stdin/stdout). To test tool calls, you'd need an MCP client or the MCP Inspector.

Project Structure

src/
├── server/                 # MCP server (Node.js, compiled with tsc)
│   ├── index.ts            # Entry: McpServer + StdioServerTransport
│   ├── tools.ts            # Tool registrations (visualize, poll, show)
│   ├── beads-client.ts     # bd CLI wrapper (execFile + JSON parse)
│   └── types.ts            # Server-side TypeScript types
└── ui/                     # Svelte app (browser, bundled with Vite)
    ├── App.svelte           # Root: view switching, layout, keyboard
    ├── main.ts              # Svelte mount + MCP bridge init
    ├── app.css              # CSS variables, theme, animations
    ├── index.html           # Vite entry point
    ├── components/
    │   ├── TopStrip.svelte  # 32px strip: project, stats, tabs
    │   ├── DagView.svelte   # ELK.js DAG canvas + SVG edges
    │   ├── DagNode.svelte   # 156x42 compact node cards
    │   ├── ListView.svelte  # Status-grouped task list
    │   ├── StatsView.svelte # Progress ring, phase bars, velocity
    │   └── TaskDrawer.svelte # Bottom drawer with task details
    └── lib/
        ├── elk-layout.ts    # ELK.js layout computation
        ├── phase.ts         # 9-phase color system (dark + light)
        ├── stores.ts        # Svelte writable stores
        ├── mcp-bridge.ts    # MCP Apps SDK bridge
        └── types.ts         # UI-side TypeScript types

Tech Stack

| Component | Technology | |-----------|-----------| | MCP server | TypeScript, @modelcontextprotocol/sdk, stdio transport | | MCP App bridge | @modelcontextprotocol/ext-apps (host theme, tool calls) | | UI framework | Svelte 5 (runes + stores) | | DAG layout | ELK.js (layered algorithm) | | Build | Vite + vite-plugin-singlefile (single HTML output) | | Bundled UI | ~557 KB gzipped (ELK.js is ~180 KB of that) |

How It Works

1. The host starts the MCP server as a child process with stdio transport
2. User asks the agent to show the task graph
3. Agent calls visualize-tasks — server runs bd list --all --json
4. Server returns a markdown summary + task data + _meta.ui.resourceUri: "ui://beads-viz"
5. Host opens ui://beads-viz in a sandboxed iframe, passing the tool result to the UI
6. The UI receives initial task data via ontoolresult callback
7. The UI polls poll-tasks every 3 seconds via app.callServerTool() for live updates
8. Host theme changes propagate to the UI via onhostcontextchanged

Phase Color System

Nodes are colored by their DAG layer using a 9-phase palette (ported from Hangar IDE):

| Phase | Color | Hex | |-------|-------|-----| | P1 | Cyan | #38bdf8 | | P2 | Indigo | #818cf8 | | P3 | Purple | #c084fc | | P4 | Pink | #f472b6 | | P5 | Orange | #fb923c | | P6 | Yellow | #facc15 | | P7 | Emerald | #34d399 | | P8 | Red | #f87171 | | P9 | Slate | #94a3b8 |

Layer-to-phase mapping: phase = (layer % 9) + 1. Deep graphs wrap around.

Troubleshooting

"No Beads project found"

The server walks up from cwd looking for .beads/config.yaml. Make sure:

• Your cwd points to a directory inside a Beads project
• The .beads/config.yaml file exists
• For WSL setups, use Linux paths (not Windows paths) inside the bash command

"Beads CLI (bd) not found"

The server calls bd via execFile. Ensure:

• bd is installed and on PATH
• For WSL + Windows setups, bd must be on the WSL PATH (not Windows PATH)
• Test: which bd (or wsl.exe bash -lc "which bd" from Windows)

"Beads CLI timed out"

The CLI has a 10-second timeout. This can happen with very large projects. Check:

• bd list --all --json runs successfully from the command line
• The Beads database isn't locked by another process

UI shows empty state

• Check that the server is running (look for errors in the host's MCP logs)
• Verify npm run build completed without errors
• Check that dist/index.html exists (the UI bundle)
• In standalone dev mode (npm run dev), empty state is expected — no MCP host

WSL: "node not found" or "bd not found"

Your login shell profile isn't loading. Ensure:

• nvm initialization is in ~/.bashrc (not just ~/.bash_profile or ~/.zshrc)
• The bash -lc flag is present in the args (the -l loads the profile)
• Test from PowerShell: wsl.exe bash -lc "which node && which bd"

Theme not matching host

The UI adapts to the host's theme via onhostcontextchanged. If colors look wrong:

• Dark theme is the default fallback
• Ensure your host supports MCP App theme propagation
• Check browser DevTools for [data-theme] attribute on <html>

License

MIT